NEW DELHI: Chennai Super Kings reaffirmed their dominance in the IPL arena with a commanding 7-wicket win over the Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Leading the charge was CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, whose unbeaten knock of 67 sealed the victory, evoking nostalgia as he reminisced about MS Dhoni's support during his maiden IPL fifty.
"Little nostalgic for me. During my first IPL fifty, a similar situation, Mahi bhai was with me and we finished the match," Gaikwad shared during the post-match presentation.
Riding on stellar performances from bowlers Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman, and Ravindra Jadeja, coupled with fine knocks from Gaikwad and Shivam Dube, CSK maintained their stronghold at home, ending KKR's unbeaten streak in IPL 2024.
In the absence of Ajinkya Rahane, Gaikwad shouldered the responsibility of anchoring the innings, avoiding undue pressure on the younger players. "With Jinx injured, onus was on me to bat through, didn't want to put the youngsters in a difficult situation," Gaikwad remarked.
Acknowledging the cohesive spirit within the squad, Gaikwad praised the positive attitude of his teammates and highlighted the invaluable guidance provided by Dhoni and head coach Stephen Fleming.
1/10:Jadeja helps Chennai Super Kings end Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL winning run
PTI
2/10:Jadeja's bowling masterclass
Ravindra Jadeja, who returned with figures of 3-18, led Chennai Super Kings' bowling charge to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 137/9, a total the home team overhauled with 14 balls to spare.PTI
3/10:Gaikwad's captaincy brilliance
Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad led the chase with an unbeaten 67 and a 70-run second-wicket partnership with Daryl Mitchell, who made 25, to make Chennai bounce back from two losses.PTI
4/10:Gaikwad praises Jadeja
"Jaddu (Jadeja) always comes in after the power play with momentum in the spin department," Gaikwad said of his man of the match performer.ANI
5/10:Dube's quickfire knock
Shivam Dube hit 28 off 18 balls before departing with Chennai needing three for victory and the crowd erupted at the sight of Dhoni walking out to bat.PTI
6/10:KKR's early struggles
Kolkata had a horror start to their innings after they lost England's Phil Salt on the first ball off fast bowler Tushar Dehspande.AP
7/10:Jadeja's spin magic
Jadeja remained the hero as he struck on the first ball of his opening over and sent back the in-form Sunil Narine (27) four balls later to put KKR in trouble at 60/3 inside seven overs.PTI
8/10:Iyer's fighting knock
KKR's innings never took off with skipper Shreyas Iyer adding some respect with his 34 in 32 balls.PTI
9/10:CSK's bowling dominance
Deshpande claimed three wickets and Bangladesh left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman took two for Chennai.ANI
10/10:Kolkata's learning curve
"We have to go back to our drawing board and learn, just a matter of one match and one innings, glad it happened at the start of the tournament," said Iyer.AP"With this team, I don't really need to tell things to anyone. Everyone's in a great head space, Mahi bhai and Fleming are still around to take those calls," the CSK captain said.
Reflecting on criticism regarding his strike rate, Gaikwad maintained his composure, urging experts to analyze the intricacies of T20 cricket. "I wouldn't say mine is a slow start... maybe something for experts to talk about," he quipped in a lighthearted manner.
Gaikwad's leadership, coupled with the team's collective effort, propelled CSK to a convincing victory, reaffirming their status as serious contenders in the IPL 2024 season.
(With inputs from ANI)
